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History · Berea

Berea’s post office opened in 1889, and 75% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1948 on.

1889first post office
0on the National Register
75%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Berea began

When was Berea founded?

1889

The Berea post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Fleming (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 49137 years
Founding year: the first Berea post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Berea’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Berea are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Berea’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Berea’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Berea came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Berea.

Read it all →

The Burlington Railroad reached the area of Berea in 1889, and railroad support facilities, including a water tower and section house, were built on the site. The town was founded by a group of settlers, originally from Ohio, who named their new home after Berea, Ohio.

In 1890–91, the town had a population of 50, and a general store, newspaper, and post office; five years later, a school and community hall had been added.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Berea, 1887 to 1948

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Fleming post office opens
  3. 1889Post officeThe Fleming post office closes
  4. 1889Post officeThe Berea post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1945Post officeThe Berea post office closes
  7. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Berea, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Berea, Nebraska with train 22010Berea, Nebraska with train 2Berea, Nebraska with train 12010Berea, Nebraska with train 1
On the map

Berea on the map, 1948 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Berea. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Berea on the 1948 USGS mapBerea on the 1985 USGS map1948Berea Creek West sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Berea.

Famous people

Famous people close to Berea

Nobody well known was born in Berea itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Moon BloodgoodAmerican actress · b. 1975
Jordan HooperAmerican basketball player · b. 1992
J
James EmanuelPoet · b. 1921
Chuck HaywardAmerican actor · b. 1920
B
Bruce BellasAmerican photographer · b. 1909
Ronald L. CokerUnited States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recip… · b. 1947
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Berea had its own post office from 1889 to 1945. Another post office, Fleming, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Fleming
1887–1889
Berea
1889–1945
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Berea Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Berea’s history

What year was Berea founded?

The Berea post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.